Toothbrushes having heads that pivot longitudinally along the line of the handle provide better teeth cleaning and polishing than toothbrushes of conventional fixed head design. Toothbrushes that have removable heads are less expensive to use than conventional toothbrushes, since only the head portion need be bought when the current head is worn.
One advantage of removable head design is that a variety of head shapes can be used in conjunction with a common handle. Thus, soft bristle heads can be substituted for hard bristle heads, or gum massaging heads made of rubber or other similar material can be used with a single handle.
One of the problems associated with prior art removable head toothbrushes is that the heads, if securely fastened to the handle Were removable only with difficulty, thereby making replacement cumbersome. When the heads were easily removable they tended to loosen under tooth brushing conditions. If it were possible to provide a removable head tooth brush that pivoted and was securely fastened to the handle yet easily removable an advantage to the art of dental hygiene would be afforded.